Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

AL: Loxley rapist on the loose, women take safety precautions
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Loxley Police say a man beat and raped a 49-year-old woman who was home alone on County Road 68 Thursday morning. Investigators say the suspect had been watching the house and lured her to the door by yelling "police." With a dangerous predator on the loose, women say they're preparing themselves in case they're targeted next. Tonia, a friend of the victim, told us she installed surveillance cameras at her home and bought a gun.

"I'm getting my new gun tomorrow," she said.

Will the issue of gun control, violence affect the 2022 midterm elections?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Democratic Ohio Representative and senate candidate Tim Ryan is another major advocate of gun control running against Republican candidate JD Vance. In July 2022, The Human Rights Campaign endorsed Ryan in the election, citing "his two bills to improve and expand background checks for gun purchases."

Following the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 21 people, 19 of which were children, at Robb Elementary School shooting in May 2022, Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke renewed calls to ban "assault weapons."

OR: Waiting period is baked into gun ballot measure in Oregon
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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A waiting and vetting period would be baked into gun purchases in Oregon if a measure on the November statewide ballot passes.

If voters approve the measure Nov. 8, buying a gun would first involve the potential purchaser obtaining a permit, which requires a number of steps supporters of the initiative say would save lives. The measure also bans large capacity gun magazines.

The ballot measure is aimed at saving lives from suicide � in Oregon, 82% of gun deaths are suicides � mass shootings and other gun violence.

DC: D.C. won�t give 3 Black men concealed-carry licenses. They�re suing.
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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When D.C. security guard Sanu Millard turned 21, he decided he wanted a concealed-carry license. He carried guns at work in the District, Maryland and Virginia. He had been trained to use guns safely as a teenager and had legally registered two weapons. He had no criminal record. And, as the Supreme Court interprets the Second Amendment, carrying a gun is his right as an American citizen.

But when Millard tried to get a concealed-carry license from D.C. police in 2019, his request was denied. Even though he had never been arrested, police said his involvement in domestic violence incidents � incidents in which, he says, he and his mother were victims � disqualified him.

MO: Prosecutors made lawful decision after KC firefighter�s death. Threats are abhorrent
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The woman shot Santi in the back as he held Taylor in a headlock outside the convenience store in Independence, according to a witness, who told investigators Taylor was �totally helpless� in the headlock and �turning purple,� prosecutors said. �The rule of law required that this case be declined,� prosecutors said in the news release from Baker�s office. Although Taylor drew the gun that he and Santi eventually fought over, the woman saw Taylor being strangled, and she had a right to end the threat to life with deadly force, as allowed under Missouri law. Taylor, a convicted felon, is facing federal charges for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Magnum Research BFR .45 Colt/.410 Big-Bore Hunting Revolver
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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I enjoy writing about firearms, but it can be a challenge to write enthusiastically about guns that are so similar in design to other firearms that their parts are practically interchangeable. The cure for the fifth-striker-fired-gun-in-a-row blues is the Magnum Research BFR, which is unlike just about anything in the handgun market.

The BFR is a single-action revolver crafted from stainless steel. This American-manufactured revolver is charming, in the same way a vintage H1 Hummer or the 72-ounce Big Texan steak is charming. Everything about the BFR is outsized, and it will certainly overshadow any other firearm your buddies bring to a barbecue show-and-tell.

HI: Hawaii Court Dismisses Two Firearms Charges Citing Bruen Decision
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In the same article, the public defender for Wilson, Ben Lowenthal, makes an unusual claim. He seems to suggest prosecutors should drop the case because it may be a good test case to restore rights protected by the Second Amendment:

�Mr. Wilson�s constitutional rights to keep and bear arms in self-defense extend beyond the home. Maui prosecutors seem eager to explore and uncover the contours of this right. They risk a flood of constitutional challenges around the state that could repeal our gun laws and make us all less safe,� he said.

Good Guys Save Lives, but the FBI Can�t See Them
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Dr. John Lott issued another stunning report. Dr. Lott at the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) said there were �massive errors� in the FBI�s reports on attempted mass murderers. It also says that armed citizens are amazing, though the FBI seems to have a strong bias against counting attacks that were stopped by ordinary citizens. This is what Lott found.

Dr. Lott went back seven years of data and identified 360 �active shooter incidents�, though he admits he probably missed several more. In that data he found 124 times where an ordinary armed citizen stopped the attacks. Over that same time period, the FBI identified only 252 active shooter incidents, and they could only find 11 examples that were stopped by armed citizens.

TX: How could anyone value the Second Amendment over our children�s lives?
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Regarding � New law asks Texas schools to distribute kits to students to keep DNA samples in case of emergencies like Uvalde,� (Oct. 17): Considering Uvalde, Santa Fe and other school shootings, how could anyone put money, politics or even the Second Amendment ahead of the lives of our children? How could anyone believe that more guns or more police officers will save a society so thoroughly flooded with guns?

We allow our children to die in our futile efforts to achieve power and security. But we must ask, what will be our legacy? Will it be a better world for our children and grandchildren? Or will it be more suffering and death for our children?

IA: Retired sheriff: Vote no on gun amendment measure
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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This Election Day, Iowans will be asked to vote on an amendment to our state Constitution. On its face, the amendment seems like a copy of the Second Amendment. However, what many Iowans don�t know is that the phrase �strict scrutiny� is a legal term with extreme implications.

�Strict scrutiny� requires a court to apply the highest level of scrutiny possible to decide whether a law is unconstitutional. This approach has been used to override the original intent of laws, has led to frivolous lawsuits, undermined case law, and jeopardized common sense gun laws.

CA: Bay Area city imposes temporary ban on gun stores
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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In a move quickly denounced by gun rights advocates, Redwood City has temporarily banned the sale of firearms within city limits � a decision that came after two retailers sought to open new gun shops near two schools.

Redwood City currently does not have gun stores, and the latest action marks the first time the city has stepped in to regulate the sale of firearms and ammunition.

In a 5-2 vote after a heated meeting that pitted neighbor against neighbor, the Redwood City Council on Monday approved the moratorium on gun stores after receiving two applications for opening firearm stores on Roosevelt Avenue � down the street from Roosevelt Elementary at a popular student hangout spot � and on El Camino Real near Sequoia High School.

MO: A look at Missouri's gun laws in wake of St. Louis school shooting
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals," Missouri state Sen. Karla May said in a statement following the shooting. "As we move forward, I am calling for a full investigation into how this shooter acquired his weapons and his ammunition."

What are Missouri's gun laws?

Missouri has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, according to the nonprofit anti-gun violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

FL: Florida Gov. #GUNVOTE Debate Quick Shot
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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National gun control groups are flailing. They can�t understand why voters won�t give up their rights. The groups continue insisting Florida voters want stricter gun control but repeating it ad nauseum won�t make it reality. They�re even targeting Florida voters based solely on race. It�s disgusting. The Second Amendment is for all law-abiding Americans.

Florida voters themselves are telling a different story. They care about crime, holding criminals accountable and their right to protect themselves. Those themes were apparent once again as the state�s candidates for governor faced off in their only debate. NSSF�s #GUNVOTE� is reminding all voters Election Day is Nov. 8.

NY: #GUNVOTE, Crime Could Help Rep. Lee Zeldin �Steal� the New York Governor�s Race
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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�I don�t know why this [crime] is so important to you.�

With one dismissive comment, New York�s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul encapsulated why New Yorkers may rock the Empire State political landscape and make their #GUNVOTE� concerns a reality at the ballot boxes on Nov. 8. Crime and safety was front and center during a debate between Gov. Hochul and challenger U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and the differences could not be more drastic.

IL: �They should be banned�: Foster calls for restrictions on military-style firearms
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville believes the private ownership and sale of military-style weapons like those used in several mass shootings, including this summer in Highland Park, should be outlawed.

�They should be banned,� said Foster, who�s seeking reelection in the 11th District. �There is a threshold that we have to set, (that) every country sets -- at what point a weapon is too dangerous to be in private hands.�

Foster�s Republican challenger, Catalina Lauf of Woodstock, did not answer questions for this story but has repeatedly spoken against gun control efforts.

Even gun control groups are suing over the Biden administration's new rules, and judges are divided on how the Second Amendment applies.
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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...Giffords, which is affiliated with former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, sent out a press release touting how it would �finally close the loophole that has allowed for the proliferation of untraceable firearms.�

Just two months later, on Oct. 20, Giffords filed an amended complaint in federal court calling for the ATF to fix �a massive loophole.�

The new rules have effectively banned a specific type of product: a kit with an �80 percent� finished gun frame, parts, tools, and a guide for completing the assembly. But, as the Giffords lawsuit points out, the ATF is still allowing retailers to sell 80 percent frames and the rest of the components required to finish building the gun�just not in the same transaction.

TX: Texas Goes Permitless on Guns, and Police Face an Armed Public
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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No statewide shooting statistics have been released since the law went into effect last September. After a particularly violent 2021 in many parts of the state, the picture of crime in Texas has been mixed this year, with homicides and assaults up in some places and down in others.

But what has been clear is that far fewer people are getting new licenses for handguns even as many in law enforcement say the number of guns they encounter on the street has been increasing.

WA: Contrasting Gun Policies Exposed in Washington Senate Debate
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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The debate between U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and her challenger Republican Tiffany Smiley revealed to voters the stark differences between the two who are vying to represent Washington voters in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Murray showed that she would lead the effort to rubber stamp President Joe Biden�s gun control wishes while Smiley would stand for Americans� Constitutional rights.

For Sen. Murray, her gun control platform is based on two tries and a lie.

KS: TPD to consider self-defense in shooting death of 81-year-old
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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The Topeka Police Department announced on Wednesday that at the conclusion of its investigation of the shooting death of an 81-year-old man Monday in South Topeka, it will forward the case to the District Attorney�s Office for review, with the possibility of self-defense consideration.

Just after 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, TPD officers were called to the 3300 block of SE Fremont St. with reports of a shooting. When officials arrived, they said they found Donald Woolridge, 81, of Arizona, dead at the scene.

NY: Judge Blocks New York�s Ban on Guns in Church�for Now
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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A federal judge last week stopped New York state officials from enforcing the part of a new gun law that bans firearms from places of worship, at least temporarily.

The Oct. 20 ruling is a small but important Second Amendment victory for New Yorkers and advocates of self-defense in a state that largely has been hostile to guns under Democrat lawmakers� policies.

Two church leaders, the Rev. Dr. Jimmie Hardaway Jr. and Bishop Larry A. Boyd, sued the state Oct. 13, arguing that it�s unconstitutional to prohibit guns in churches and other houses of worship.

NRA Starts New $1.1 Million Spending Spree in Swing State Senate Races
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The nation�s largest gun-rights group is stepping up its campaign ad spending less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

The NRA�s Super PAC is planning over $1.1 million in digital ad spending across multiple battleground states in the coming days, according to its latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. The ads, set to release on Thursday, are slated to run in support of the Republican Senate candidates in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona.

MD: Concealed Carrier Draws on Two Armed Carjackers; Narrowly Survives
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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A 42-year-old man is lucky to be alive after being involved in a carjacking with two armed robbers.

Around 12:30 PM this past Sunday, two men approached the victim in a Walmart parking lot. Both suspects were armed and attempted to carjack the victim. The victim was carrying concealed and drew his gun. Both suspects fired at the victim and then fled in a silver sedan.

Luckily, the victim was not hit by the gunfire. He did not fire his weapon and had a valid Maryland concealed carry permit.

Nigeria: Leaders Urge Christians To Defend Selves After Militants Kill 70
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Leaders in Benue, Nigeria, are seeking to give Christian farmers AK-47s for self-defense after suspected militant herdsmen killed at least 70 Christians in several days of attacks there.

�We are standing on our request for the federal government to give us a license for our Volunteer Guards to bear AK-47s and other sophisticated weapons,� Morning Star News on Oct. 25 quoted Anthony Ijohor, a spokesman for Benue Gov. Samuel Ortom. �The security agencies have been overstretched and, that being the case, our people have to defend themselves.�

Canada: Legislative Updates � Handgun Ban in Canada
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Today, Riley Bowman and Matthew Maruster discuss the recent Legislative News from around the US and the world including stories about how there's disagreement apparently between members of the Senate and the ATF on the �Ghost Gun Rule.� We take a look at the mess regarding concealed carry in the state of New York. And we discuss the travesty taking place across our northern border where Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, has implemented a freeze on all handgun purchases and transfers throughout the country. Plus other important news, tune in!!

OR: Measure 114 would tighten Oregon gun laws: What both sides say about it
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: www.marktaff.com

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Oregon Measure 114. Backers call it overdue, common sense gun safety. Opponents say it�s an attack on legal gun owners.

The measure, formally called the Reduction of Gun Violence Act, qualified for the ballot on July 18.

About a month later, a gunman opened fire at a Bend Safeway, killing two people. It brought home the issue of gun control in Central Oregon, a place many believed was protected from the world of senseless violence.